INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING AND SCIENTIFIC PRACTICES: THE EXPERIENCE OF THE PHYSICS LABORATORY WITH PRE-SERVICE PRIMARY TEACHERS

Among the approaches that can favour a meaningful learning of science, inquiry-based learning (IBL) is becoming increasingly important. The competences and attitude of teachers play a prominent role in determining the efficacy of IBL; for this reason, it is of paramount importance that teachers themselves are involved in inquiry since their initial training. This study investigates the relationship of preservice primary teachers with the practices of inquiry using different methods: a survey involving a large sample and the observation of case study group during a physics laboratory. Our results suggest that preservice teachers feel more confident in practices that involve communication and relationship with other people, whereas the practices that involve the languages or structures of science are perceived as difficult. “Analysing and interpreting data” and “constructing explanations” were the two practices that were most activated during the laboratory. Focussing on the construction of explanations, we observed that it is a complex scientific practice that involves moving from evidence to interpretation, building on previous knowledge. We believe that these results can be used as the basis to design more effective preservice teacher training programmes.